Has McIntosh always been challenging to find? Or are the recent supply chain issues the cause of an inability to find available AMP/Pre-amp equipment? I've noticed that if you check McIntosh's web site there are a whole bunch of items shown that are no longer available in the marketplace. C22 tube pre-amp for example but there are others.
Rich people have gotten a lot richer during the pandemic. For instance, there have been articles written about how Rolex can't keep up with demand and so the secondhand market for Rolexes is super hot. I know this personally because I recently sold my Rolex that my Aunt gave me (RIP) for $5,100 cash money. I then turned around and bought...........a McIntosh MC-2105 from the pawn shop for $2,000. What's my point? It wouldn't surprise me if the shortage is independent of supply chain issues. It could be that demand has increased. Or both.
Hi I got a nice response from Chuck Hinton the other day in my quest for a new preamp. He said they are super busy with two shifts six days a week. So for anyone wanting a Mc , be patient those guys and ladies over there are working hard. I was interested in the C22 but ended up buying a Zesto Leto for a price I couldn't pass up.
I can believe that. I work for an industrial automation manufacturer and in my 20+ years of experience I have never seen a more difficult environment.
Somewhat related I've had issues with GIK acoustics getting a couple grand worth of sound absorbing panels from them. Ordered in August. At the time it said their lead time was two weeks. Then that two weeks became another two weeks every two weeks up until now lol. Out of 6 wall panels and 4 corner bass traps I've received 6 items total. 4 of which were damaged. 3 of the bass traps were completely wrecked. I'm talking stripped screws in the wood faceplates, scratches all over the faceplates, chipped edges, just horrible condition. One of the wall panels had damage to rear also where I can't hang it from one side. As far as replacements for what has arrived, I wasn't put in the front of the line as a far as I've been told. It seems I'll be waiting another couple months for them. And last I checked they were saying my items that havent arrived yet now have an ETA of mid December. My initial contacts with customer service were met with indifference. Once I escalated a manager told me that the customer service reps were new (2 of them that I believe are like their only reps) and hinted at difficulty getting workers in the manufacturing side. So not only are they dealing with delays due to production issues, they apparently have a bunch of newbies and incompetents filling their positions. I ordered from GIK several years ago and the experience was completely the opposite. Immediate shipping, great product, good communication. Sadly, I've had a couple of similar issues with other companies since the beginning of the pandemic. None quite this bad though lol.
I pinged McIntosh support on this and they cleared it up. They still manufacture everything shown on their website. The reason some of their products might not be available in the marketplace is fairly simple. They sell as fast as they are built. Ex - an order with a dealer for a C22 will likely be filled in two months (approx).
Not audio, but we just recently ordered a dining room set, tables and chairs. 8 month delay, and it's not custom or anything, just some of the parts needed apparently are hard to get to build it. I'm sure the same issues are affecting the audio world too.
And since no one was going on vacation, that money was spent on discretionary/luxury goods. For most good A/V dealers, business has never been better.
Macintosh’s are readily available here it’s just that they don’t seem to have the flavour that they used to have.
There is a huge supply of McIntosh stuff in local hi-fi shops and even in BestBuy/Magnolia stores near me. Not sure where OP is looking that the shelves are bare.
I believe u have a point. It may well be there is a supply line problem, but I'm pretty sure suppliers are happy to raise prices.
I'm hearing that transportation vendors are upcharging as much as 67%. I do not get directly involved with that side of my organization's business so this is second hand info... and I would also assume they are passing along increases in their costs but the numbers are pretty big... hard not to think there's some profiteering going on.
I traded my Rolex way back for some great cables. Nice watch for use in the desert but I ain’t hangin around no deserts anymore. My first separates system was driven by McIntosh amplifiers. I should have held on to them. Would have been a great investment.
McIntosh doesn’t allows sales of a lot of their products online, including the C22. You have to go to a brick and mortar, or call the store and order it by phone.
Yeah I’m kinda figuring that out. Unfortunately I don’t live anywhere near a brick and mortar McIntosh dealer. Not a big deal at this point though. I’m still a long way from actually purchasing. Gonna take a couple years to set aside that kind of $$$ When I am ready to buy, I’m guessing I can simply call a Mc dealer and order
Is there actual stock or do you just see them on display. Local Magnolia's here have never had any McIntosh actually on the shelf. The stores here have had the same display gear for years. I think they may occasionally had an MA5200 whenI asked some years back, but none of the higher end stuff.
Ok. But Toonces has been driving cars for over 30 years, according to SNL. Is it so strange that he would have moved on to the big rigs now?
They have stock, floor models available, etc... Same with the local hi-fi shop. This was as of last month.
There is a 3 to 4 month delay ordering new. I just pre ordered the MDP1100 phono stage ... I'll be pre ordering the just announced C12000 and have been told to expect a similar delay.